Basketball Recap: Emerald Takes Loss Despite Strong Performances from Rykevius Logan and Da'marquis Hopkins

Emerald was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. The matchup between them and the Laurens Raiders didn't end well, with the Emerald Vikings falling 67-50. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Vikings of the 57-37 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in December of 2023.

Despite the loss, Emerald had strong showings from Da'Marquis Hopkins, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds, and Rykevius Logan, who went 5 for 11 en route to 11 points and seven boards.

Laurens found their leader in sophomore Q Quinton Watts, who went 7 of 13 on his way to 21 points. Those 21 points set a new season-high mark for Watts. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyj Narrius Jones, who went 6 for 15 en route to 13 points and four steals.

Emerald's defeat dropped their record down to 6-11. As for Laurens, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season.

Emerald will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Wren at 8:00 p.m. Laurens has already played their next contest, a 67-63 victory against White Knoll on the 18th.